Tucker Carlson Is Afraid of Me
I am a Fredericksburg protestor, which puts me on the receiving end of Tucker Carlson’s distinctive brand of “journalism.” As an unknown woman from a small town, I can’t say I expected to garner his attention. 2020 has been full of surprises.
On June 25th, Tucker played a segment of a 911 call from Tara Durant, who had come upon a demonstration in Fredericksburg, VA.
Using such high journalistic standards as “hearing the fear in her voice,” Tucker claimed immediate understanding of the situation, and referred to the group as a “violent mob” and “the ultimate betrayal of citizenship.”
Unsurprisingly, Tucker mixes up facts, editorializes, tells blatant falsehoods, and furthers his own political stances, and usually when I have the displeasure of encountering Tucker in the wild, I shake my head and move on. But…
I was protesting when the 911 call occurred. I witnessed the scene. I am the “violent mob.” He’s talking about me. And as a white person in the group who’s life is somewhat sheltered by that whiteness, I have a responsibility to my fellow protestors, and our Black leaders, to set the record straight.
On May 31st, during a completely peaceful BLM protest, Fredericksburg PD used teargas, pepper spray rounds, and pepper spray on its citizens. They followed this brutality with an unconstitutional curfew resulting in over 40 arrests of mostly young POC. After these events, we as citizens, believers in the First Amendment, and victims of police brutality, organized.
We’ve been consistent in attending city council meetings, working with lawmakers, and beginning initiatives to unearth our city’s vibrant Black history. We’ve spoken at length with Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, to demand accountability and an apology for the events of May 31st. On Tuesday, June 23rd, Mayor Greenlaw offered her personal apology as a first step toward healing. Tucker Carlson would go on to use that exact apology to claim Mayor Greenlaw was “slobbering” to a riotous mob. This has put her on the receiving end of death threats.
In addition to behind-the-scenes work, there are daily demonstrations, which often take the form of marching on crosswalks for four to five minutes at a time, before clearing the street to let built-up traffic pass.
This is what a group of about 30 were doing when Tara Durant drove down a one-way street and came upon the demonstration. Rather than be inconvenienced for a few minutes, she attempted to push through the protestors with her car.
The group did what we always do in this situation and formed a three or four person line in front of the vehicle to protect those marching. Tara Durant called 911. Tucker conveniently ignores the first portion of the call, where she states her plan to drive forward.
A few minutes into her call, a young boy, who had been watching from a side street and was not involved with the protests, jumped on her hood. We told him to get down and Tara Durant left the area, unharmed, and with zero property damage. One of our leaders confronted the “jumper,” and spoke to him at length as to why his behavior was unsafe and not tolerated by us. He listened quietly, looking embarrassed at the whole occurrence. We all moved on. Then the 911 call was made public.
The accusations around this call have ranged from “you’re bothering people,” to “you’re out-of-state ANTIFA antagonizers here to terrorize women and children,” which would be laughable if it weren’t instead dangerous rhetoric. Because since this 911 call went viral, our protestors have been told we would be followed home and beat. We’ve been called “hood ornaments.” We’ve had Black protestors receive texts from unknown numbers reading, “You are going to burn, n*****.”
While Tara Durant enjoys newfound right-wing fame, we are desperately searching for ways to ensure our own safety against a police force who refuses to publicly acknowledge these threats, and who shows blatant support towards our antagonizers.
What we’re experiencing in our city is a fascinating microcosm of the nation at large but Tucker and those like him seem to bank on the fact that small town stories don’t get told. Because while our cries for justice struggle to be seen even by our local media, Tucker’s piece has empowered conservative news outlets, (including President Trump’s own favorite, OAN) to widely spread a false narrative, that is having real life consequences on 30 small town Americans who’s lives have been put at risk.
Tucker Carlson has put my life at risk. All for a sloppy piece of sensationalized media, designed to fill his own pockets and appease his viewers. It’s hard to think of a more ultimate betrayal of citizenship than that.
